Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has criticised the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, over comments he made during an interview on Channels Television, urging him to accept the outcome of the 2023 presidential election. In a statement issued after the interview, Onanuga described Obi’s television appearance as unsuccessful, alleging that it contained false claims and questioning the former Anambra State governor’s political record. Reacting to Obi’s remarks on his movement across political parties, Onanuga rejected the comparison Obi made between his political career and that of President Bola Tinubu.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu has remained within the progressive political fold throughout his political career, beginning with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), before moving through the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and later the All Progressives Congress (APC), which emerged from the merger of opposition parties in 2013. He contrasted this with Obi’s political trajectory, noting that Obi was elected governor under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), later joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contested the 2019 presidential election as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate, moved to the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 election and has since aligned with the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Onanuga also alleged that the Labour Party experienced a leadership crisis after the 2023 election and claimed that campaign funds in Obi’s possession had not been fully accounted for.
He further accused Obi of leaving political parties instead of remaining to resolve internal challenges and strengthen their structures. On the 2023 presidential election, Onanuga maintained that Obi did not win the poll, noting that the election outcome was upheld through the judicial process, including by the Supreme Court. He criticised Obi for continuing to insist that he was denied victory, despite the court rulings.
“Mr Obi, it is time you accepted the stark reality of the loss. Stop dreaming of a victory that you never had,” Onanuga said. The presidential spokesman urged Obi to accept the outcome of the election and focus on future political engagements rather than revisiting issues that have been settled by the courts.
The post 2023 Election: Stop dreaming of victory you never … In a statement released after the interview, Onanuga said Obi’s television appearance, which he claimed was intended to revive his 2027 presidential ambition, had instead generated negative public reactions. Responding to Obi’s comments on his movement across political parties, Onanuga rejected the comparison between Obi’s political career and that of President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, Tinubu has remained within the progressive political tradition since joining partisan politics in the early 1990s, moving through parties such as the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and eventually the All Progressives Congress (APC), which emerged from the 2013 merger of several opposition parties. He contrasted this with Obi’s political journey, noting that the former Anambra State governor was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), later joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contested the 2019 presidential election as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate, moved to the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 election, and has since aligned with the National Democratic Congress (NDC). On the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, Onanuga said Obi did not win the poll, maintaining that the election results were upheld by the courts, including the Supreme Court.
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